The Ohio State football program won the national championship last season after not earning a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. They smoked Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame to win the national championship. This season, they were the second seed in the CFP.
Earning that first-round bye this season was supposed to give the Buckeyes a chance to get healthy and game-plan better for Miami. With Ryan Day taking over the play-calling, things were supposed to be more coherent with Brian Hartline pulling double-duty.
Instead, the Ohio State Buckeyes got crushed by Miami 24-14 in a game they never led. One of the lessons that the program has learned after this year is that it should never pursue earning a first-round bye ever again, and the evidence supports it.
The Ohio State football team should never try to get a first-round bye again
After the games wrapped up on New Year's Day, teams with first-round byes in the last two seasons have gone just 1-7. Indiana is the only team to have won after earning a bye, after they dismantled Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Clearly, the layoff affects these teams.
The Buckeyes were able to use the momentum from the home victory over Tennessee last season as to springboard to win the other games they played. With two years of evidence, it's pretty clear that teams are better off having the home game in front of fans before playing the rest of the CFP games.
Of course, Ohio State still has other issues it needs to address. While scoring zero points in the first half might be a product of being rusty from the bye, the bye didn't prevent them from being able to block Miami's defensive line. Making kicks shouldn't be an issue, either.
When the Buckeyes play next season, don't be mad if they lose a game. As long as it isn't to TTUN, it will be for the greater good of winning a national title.